And the Curtains Fall
by Kirikou
Summary: ...I had never expected things to go the way they had. I now resent and regret ever crossing paths with the men in the first place. It was not my right to steal another's life away...


[And the curtains fall…]   
Written by Valerie   
[4/25/04 - 4/26/04] 

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Author's notes: This will be my second attempt at an Artemis Fowl fanfiction, and the only one that sounds remotely what I want it to sound like. Here's the only warning you will get from me about this story. Lovers of Artemis, beware, for the story would not have gotten it's title if something did not happen to our ever-so-loved antihero and his friends.   
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I'm not a perfect person There's many things I wish I didn't do… 

--- ** Excerpt from Artemis Fowl's diary, disk 4 (encrypted)**   
_ Caine and his imbeciles had thought that they could put me under and control my brainwaves for their own doing. It's not uncommon, but I had never expected things to go the way they had. I now resent and regret ever crossing paths with the men in the first place. It was not my right to steal another's life away…_

"So where's the guilty party?" Foaly almost demanded over his communicator, staring over the floor plans of this oddly familiar building. It was not unlike the ever-so-loved Jon Spiro's building. Commander Holly Short hovered a few hundred feet over the building, scanning all records and maps of the building that she could find in the database through her helmet. 

"They're probably keeping him on B5. If not, then your guess is as good as mine." She confirmed, sighing deeply. This whole thing had been nothing but a mess since she'd gotten there. Butler was dead, Juliet had gone missing, and the entire Fowl family was being held hostage somewhere in this located building. She only prayed as she swooped in lower that they where all still alive. 

"The threat is legitimate enough." Foaly mentioned as she swooped in, reading it over himself once more from the control center. The entire purpose was clearly stated. It was a ransom for Artemis Fowl to his parents, who had been out on a cruise when he had been abducted. Foaly had snatched it halfway to its destination. The only reason he'd held onto it was because Alabaster Caine had been on their public enemy list for quite some time. With the infamous Artemis Fowl in the picture as well, there was definitely something going on. The fact that Artemis's mind had been wiped was the last thing on his mind. If Caine had somehow found something out that he didn't need to know… 

"I'm in…" Came Holly's voice over the receiver. She'd busted through a bottom floor vent, landing in the basement. Foaly couldn't believe his ears. It couldn't possibly be so easy to get into the worlds most renowned labs without some kind of security interference. Of course, above that floor lay hundreds of cameras, pressure pads and key-coded doors… Holly glanced around the place, heading down the first flight of stairs on foot. There where no cameras, so there was no need to be shielded. Any other cameras would be taken care of by Foaly anyhow. 

_ But I continue learning I never meant to do those things to you…_

Holly was amazed by what lay before her. Hundreds apon millions of dollars of equipment was hooked up in various places, many of which had strange items inside of them…and some of which held body parts. The entire room glowed an eerie green, and she couldn't wait to get to the next floor. She headed up another set of stairs, wondering for a moment if the lights where playing with her eyes, or if they where color-coded, because the next room was completely red. She walked through slowly, eyeballing the items with a sudden horrid fascination. Body parts everywhere… 

"Foaly, are you getting this?" She exclaimed, her voice barely above a whisper. Foaly's inhale confirmed her suspicions. Both of them where too shocked to speak. The room was blood red…and the color of most of the tanks where matching. Strange creatures came from these tanks, watching Holly's every move. Others simply floated…and the rest where just body parts. An eyeball startled her as she passed. It had sprouted legs. Meanwhile, Commander Root was downstairs with his own problems. 

_ And so I have to say before I go… That I just want you to know… _

He'd threatened me in all ways possible, mentally, physically…and emotionally. I still can barely stand to write about my mother, who was the first victim to my pertinacity. I'd been in a locked up room with one way tinted glass. A single light shone above my head, blinding me. 

"It would be a real shame if your mother where to had a little accident, wouldn't it?" 

"You're bluffing…" 

"So you'd think, boy." I hadn't even been able to say anything more…The man with my mother on the other side shoved her roughly into the room and she fell to the floor, seemingly unconscious. A glint of metal caught my eye… I couldn't let them see that I was frightened…but I was more frightened then than I had ever been in my life. The man pointed the gun to her still body and let the barrel click. I didn't know what to think… 

"Now are you going to tell me?" I said nothing, swallowing painfully. The sting of tears running down my cheeks was all I felt after the gunshot. I'd ran forward, hitting the glass…and all I remember of the encounter was the small puddle of blood left from my mother's body…and the trail leading out of the room. 

I found out a reason for me… To change whom I used to be. A reason to start over new. And the reason is you… 

They'd captured me, and used me as a guinea pig for their next big experiment. He'd explained to me later that my IQ was sufficient enough to work without damaging my brain. I hadn't a clue that the LEP had been on their way to this place because of me…I can barely fathom the torture Holly had to have gone through when she was there… I'll never forget the look apon her face as she entered the room I was held in… 

I'm sorry that I hurt you… It's something I must live with every day… 

DNA sensor canons locked onto a fairy's DNA? How was it possible, was all that ran through Foaly's mind as Commander Root dodged beam after beam, flying for his life has as several body guards ran on his tail, able to see through the shield that was supposed to be protecting him. They had LEP technology…How did they have the technology? Foaly pounded a fist into the control center, watching in agony as the commander was shot down in the middle of the floor. It was lucky for him that he had Holly on the job as well. She was several stories up, fighting through mobs of DNA canons, the same works that Root had just failed at… He lay on the ground, struggling fiercely to get up as the men formed a circle around, guns poised. 

Meanwhile, Holly had managed to force her way through a door, completely dumbfounded by the sight before him…hundreds of bodies…bodies just everywhere, laying around. Most of them bloody, more than half probably dead. Small capsules lined the walls, each with it's own person in it, attached to a strange headset and wired from the feet upwards. They where children, each and every one of them… 

"My…Gods…" Foaly could only utter these words as the sight came over his screens, filling the room with the gruesome stories of hundreds of failed experiments. Tables, graphs and diaries where on file in this room, showing the many deaths of those lying about the room… 

"There he is!" Root exclaimed, spotting the pod at the end of the room. It was filled completely with an unidentifiable liquid. There, in a strange state of euphoria lay Artemis Fowl the second, eyes fixed straight ahead of him. Foaly wondered for a moment if he was even conscious. Perhaps in a state of suspended animation, but either way, he was hooked up by hundreds of wires, and as Holly came closer, Foaly thought he was a part of the computer himself. He could not say anything as Holly came to put a hand apon it… Small slits where made where the lines had been put internally, and other bruises lined his once fragile arms, making him look even more fragile and dangerously frail…he'd lost a significant amount of weight, and his eyes where slightly sunken in. As much as she hated Artemis, through all of the contempt and death wishing, her tears came readily, falling gently to the linoleum floor. 

_ And all the pain I put you through… I wish that I could take it all away…_

"The system is complicated…we can't just take him out." 

"Can't you hack into it…?" Holly's voice came over filled with concern, and cracking from the tears she tried to choke back. She'd turned around, unable to look at the boy so helplessly suspended. If only he could fight back… She wanted so badly to jump in and save him, but couldn't. It was driving her mad as Foaly typed away on his computers. 

Root had been dragged, bloody and battered into a titanium room. It was a dark, dank kind of place that didn't fit into the otherwise clean and spooky labs above him. A certain blonde haired man walked in from a door to the left, examining his prey with a vampire smile. Caine… 

"I have little use for you right now…your friend was of great service to our organization." 

"You bastard!" He spat. Caine's smile only increased as a gun was cocked to the fairy's head. He nodded, watching gleefully as the blood sprayed out apon his shooter, and the fairy fell to the ground, a look of terror plastered apon his cold, dead face. 

_ They where trying to make my tell them things that I myself had forgotten…and father was next on the list. I couldn't stand to watch the torture unfold as he was sliced through with all kinds of knives, screaming in anguish… I could not tell them what I knew… It would endanger the lives of all the People below the ground…I had vowed to keep them a secret, and it was being threatened by Caine. He was a madman… I couldn't take the torture for a moment longer. I sat there, sobbing, for how long I don't remember. They had finally cut his throat in the end. I had heard word that Juliet was hanging from the ceiling in chains. _

And be the one who catches all your tears… That's why I need you to hear… 

"I don't think I can comm…Wait..." Foaly stopped in mid-sentence, typing away some more. Artemis continued to lye there, staring straight ahead…he had not once blinked since she had arrived. He seemed at rest…and peaceful. Foaly's voice startled her. "I can try and talk to him…I'll do what I can. As for now, I need to break this code. It's set in MY language! How in the bloody hell do you put an eternity code in MY language on THEIR systems?" Foaly demanded, completely outraged by this whole situation. Artemis had somehow leaked something out again. Or perhaps there was another to blame. He ruled out Diggums. He expected the creature to have more common sense than that…seeing as how he was still serving out his term. If there was somebody else in this, however…that made things more complicated. 

His attention was averted back to the tank. Artemis's once stable status was rising with astonishing severity. Bubbles where starting to form at the bottom, and Artemis's once still body began to writhe uncontrollably…he had awoken… Holly could not stop the small scream that erupted from her throat as his eyes opened completely…he was conscious. And couldn't breathe. 

"Gods, Foaly, get him out!" 

"I can't! The code isn't working…" 

_ I hadn't even been able to remain conscious for Juliet's torturing…though she had put up a glorious fight while she was in there. I don't remember at all what they'd done to her…but it involved something with a tank. A panic attack is all I can describe it as. I'd fallen to the floor only three minutes after I'd arrived. My spirit was already as low as it could have fallen, but my mind had been fighting, holding fast…but it could hold no longer. I still wonder what happened to her, though I hate to admit it. I haven't seen her since that encounter. Perhaps she's still alive…though I doubt it. _

I've found out a reason for me, To change whom I used to be. A reason to start over new… And the reason is you… 

A man watched all of this activity with glee from behind the glass wall, moving the lever up gently, slowly throughout the entire process. They would not take him alive if it were the last thing he was sure of. Nicholas always made sure of these things. It was his job to secure the patients in case of emergency. The silly fairies had no idea what they where up against. 

_ And the reason is you…_

"Foaly hurry!" Holly screamed from the floor, unable to keep herself standing anymore. She didn't even care that she'd almost made the centaur go deaf with the sound. He continued to click furiously, watching the elapsed time closely. Every second counted… And then the glass cracked. Holly looked up from the sound…the water pressure had cracked a small hole, and the liquid flowed out in a gentle stream… And another crack followed. They where appearing everywhere… 

"Holly, get out of there!" Foaly's shouts where left on deaf ears. The contained split, shattering in all directions and flinging it's captive out on the floor, panting and heaving the liquid from his system. Hundreds of wires still connected his body to the object. Foaly gasped in amazement…He had been attached to the mainframe… 

The man inside the box scowled, turning around. He'd have to inform Caine about this change in events. No matter. They still had the technology available to wipe all of them out before they had a chance to escape. He pressed a button on his way out, activating the laser spotters and setting the DNA cannons on lethal. 

"Artemis…" A moan was heard from the rubble, Holly pulling herself from the pile of shelves that had fallen apon her. Her face was streaked with tears now. The boy, however, was still coughing uncontrollably, unable to catch a decent amount of air in his lungs. His body finally gave up, and he fell unconscious once more sprawled out on the floor. Holly crawled over to him, taking him as gently as possible into her arms. Wires where still coming from every direction, still attached to the boy that she held. She ran a few fingers through his hair, hoping that somehow he'd awaken, come up with some brilliant plan to get them out of there… "Please…wake up..." 

_ I'm not a perfect person… I never meant to do those things to you… _

They'd attached me to the computer, reading my mind, divulging into my very soul, and I had been unable to stop them. With all of the struggling I did, every thought was completely theirs to read through like a book. My very existence was no longer mine. None of my private thoughts where safe anymore…and any secrets where revealed with the touch of that button. It was my entire fault that I'd let them do that to me. I, Artemis Fowl, had given in. 

And so I have to say before I go… That I just want you to know… 

An eye cracked open, and a very long groan came afterwards. Artemis lay there, staring straight into the eyes of his savior. He couldn't believe a moment of his luck…and then saw the reality of his curse. They had planned it all along… 

"Holly…get out…get away…" He begged her as well as his slowed mind could process. He put up a wired hand, trying to push her away. His eyes ran across a small metal device in the ceiling, watching their every move. He knew who was behind that camera. 

"Artemis, are you alright…?" 

"Leave…go away…" 

"But I…" She interjected, but he'd finally gotten most of his strength back, and shoved himself away from her, getting slowly to his feet, glaring at her with all of the fake hatred he could muster. Do it for her…do it for her safety. 

_ I found out a reason for me… To change whom I used to be. A reason to start over new. And the reason is you…_

"Leave…they're…they're planning it all. They know you're here, and they'll…take you like they've done to me…" He stammered, falling to the ground helplessly. He felt the small shards of glass enter his skin, cutting away many of the wires that held him captive. Holly stood dumbfounded, as well as Foaly on the other line, but not because of Artemis's statement. He'd spotted the camera as well. 

"Holly, listen to him…get out now." She didn't know what to do…she went straight back to Artemis, who fought back with all he had left. She couldn't stay…don't let her die for you… 

"I came down here because I care about you, alright? I can't just leave you here now…" She finally admitted through clenched teeth. She always had had a small liking for the boy. Always had missed him after he'd left. And now the truth came pouring out. She couldn't live with herself if anything happened to him… She'd gotten in too deep, and couldn't swim. 

Small tears rolled down the boy's cheeks, choked sobs erupting from the pale body that could barely hold a breath in it. She was ready to lay down her life…and he was not ready to accept that. Too many friends already lost to the turmoil, to a madman who could not be stopped. He nodded slowly, curling into ball that she quickly embraced. 

_ I found out a reason to show… A side of me you didn't know…_

"Please...don't stay…" He begged her, falling past several levels that, prior to this, he would have never done. Begging was not high on his priorities…but this entire thing had sent his nervous system frying, and nothing was below him at this point… "He'll kill you too…Please leave Holly…I can't see you die…" The last words hit her phenomenally. "I really care about you…Honestly I do…" His voice was drenched with tears, cracking with each syllable, as if it where hard for him to speak…and it truly was. 

Foaly's eyes where averted to the thing above her, zoning in… "Holly! Get outa there!" He screeched through the headset, pounding a hand on the panel for emphasis. Holly continued to sit there, unwilling to leave Artemis alone. The little object continued it's zoning, getting closer and closer, gaining heat with each centimeter it gained. Holly finally picked Artemis up, dragging him out. A SQUAT team was headed into the building, guns loaded and ready to fire. Through all of Artemis's screaming, she'd finally managed to get him on the last floor, and the SQUAT team had taken him away, into their van…he'd be going home. 

"Holly…" He reached for her suddenly, unable to leave her now that she was there…And Holly turned back to him with a smile. She embraced the boy for a moment, before turning around…and at that precise moment, a spurt of blood ripped through her uniform. She stared helplessly forwards, life flashing before her eyes, Foaly's voice screaming in her ear. Artemis's wide and disbelieving eyes followed her as she sank to her knees, eyes lifeless, empty and dull. Another life lost to Artemis Fowl. 

_ I only wish I'd known that this would have happened. I could have fought it, made a plan, but the whole thing was unexpected. I would have apologized to Holly a trillion times, told her things I'd never told anyone else… It felt as though she was the only friend I'd ever had…and I'd lost her twice before, only to loose her once more. That time in the lab would be the last time I ever saw her. They'd taken me back to my home at Fowl Manor, left me to my devices. I have yet to hear from them again. I now sit in this empty house, on the verge of moving in with a set of foster parents. Holly, I honestly loved you. _

A reason for all that I do… And the reason is you… 

I cut myself today to ease the pain that tortures my mind, the visions that have not left me. I awake screaming from my nightmares, haunted by the same gruesome pictures, the same haunting memories. Once and only once did I let that blood flow from my arm, let it stain the sink and run into the drain. Never again will I do such a horrible thing. 

That week was the week that I last saw all of the people I cared about, and all of the people I truly loved. And now, diary, this will be the last you see of me. I have left this final entry as a memoir to those who find me there, hanging in the topmost room in this manor. Perhaps I will feel better once I'm gone. I only hope that God can forgive me of these mortal sins, and that He still has room in His house for me to stay. These are my final words to the world, the world that had dealt me an unfair hand. The world that took me away from everything I cared about. And my final words to the recipient of this Diary, if anyone should ever find it. My life is no longer worth living when there is nothing to live for. In this house I stay, in this house I will die. It will grow old and wither, but the memories of my friends and family shall live on forever in my heart. 

-Artemis Fowl the Second 


End file.
